Experimental research on improvement of battery reliability

Abstract

The heat control and maintenance of batteries is essential for effective operation of UPS in harsh environmental condition since battery working reliability,performance, durability and its economy is directly related to the environmental temperature and air flow around batteries. Therefore, ideally, batteries should be use within its comfortable temperature range to get its optimum performance. Compact design of Batteries in enclosed environments necessitates thermal management of the battery system for optimum life and performance. This invention proposes an efficient vapour compression refrigeration system to effectively cool the batteries and maintain optimum battery surface temperature of 25 °C for better performance and extended battery life at 40°C external ambient temperature. Moreover Silica gel based Solid desiccant wheel is used to absorb moisture from air so that condensation in the battery cabinet can be minimized. Computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer simulation was performed to devise a initial concept. Experimental validation of the prototype was made to verify simulation results and actual temperature distribution.